On September 28, 2022, two men attempted to violently interrupt a student assembly on the campus of Cordoba University, but were quickly stopped by the students in attendance.
According to reports, the men entered a room where the students had gathered. They wore hoods to obscure their identities, and carried grenades, causing many of the students in attendance to scatter. Several students confronted the men, and were able to remove the hoods and turn them over to authorities, who arrested them. Available reporting does not reflect a clear motivation for the attack on the assembly, and the identity of the attackers has not been released.
Scholars at Risk is concerned about attacks on groups of students nonviolently exercising their right to free assembly on campus. Campus actors, political actors, and all members of society have an obligation to respect the right to nonviolent assembly, political expression and academic freedom. Authorities likewise have an obligation to respond to attacks and hold perpetrators accountable. In addition to the harm to the immediate victims, the use of force against students undermines academic freedom and democratic society generally.
Sources:
*SAR identified this incident in data made publicly available by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)